Bulgaria calls off search for crew of ship sunk in drone attack in Black Sea
The search and rescue operation for the crew of the Alfa Watan, which was hit by drones and then sank in the Black Sea 70 nautical miles from Byala has been called off and will not be resumed, the Maritime Administration Agency said on October 7.
The Alfa Watan was one of two vessels attacked in Bulgaria’s exclusive economic zone in the early hours of October 6.
Vice Admiral Roumen Nikolov, head of emergency and rescue at the Maritime Administration Agency, said that no survivors or bodies from the Alfa Watan had been found, only a capsized boat, life jackets and some of the vessel’s equipment.
“There are no traces of the sailors of the first ship and probably there will be none. The search operation was suspended yesterday at 5pm and will not be resumed,” he said.
Nikolov refused to comment on whether the drones that caused the incident were Russian or Ukrainian.
“I said at the beginning that I would avoid answering these questions, since we cannot guess. I cannot afford to comment on whether the drones are Russian, Ukrainian or whatever,” he said.
He said that this was a matter of analysis by military and political circles and is expected to be further clarified.
“Our commitments are limited to what was necessary to do. The people who were on the surface of the water were rescued, taken to medical facilities and, accordingly, for further transportation to wherever it is decided,” Nikolov said.
He also commented on the reasons why, in his opinion, no survivors have been found from the sunken ship.
“The event occurred at night, when there were most likely one or two people awake on board the ship. The rest were in the rooms below the waterline,” he said.
He said that the drone strike had been extremely powerful.
“I can already say here that they saw and heard an extremely powerful explosion, as a result of which the ship sank almost instantly,” Nikolov said.
“So the basis I have for this analysis is that there cannot be any people alive who can continue to be on the surface,” he said.
The area was checked repeatedly by nearby vessels, and then by plane and helicopters. He said the checks showed that there was no person on the surface who could be detected.
Nikolov also commented on the possible pollution of the sea. “The presence of a minimal stain, insignificant, so that it can be expected that there will be any impact,” he said.
He said that it is difficult to determine exactly what the cargo of the sunken ship was.
Regarding the second ship, the Able, Nikolov said that the engine compartment is almost completely damaged, as a result of which the cargo is expected to get wet.
On October 6, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said: “Our intelligence and special services are now working to establish all available information about yet another attack in the Black Sea targeting civilian vessels”.
“Ukraine’s Defence Forces conducted no operations in this area of the sea, and this latest tragedy involving civilian vessels is another part of Russia’s effort to make the western Black Sea completely unfit for navigation,” Zelenskyy said.
“We verified all the details with the Bulgarian side. Our Navy contacted its counterparts in Bulgaria, and it has been established that this was a combined Russian attack using maritime and aerial drones,” he said.
“I instructed our Armed Forces, the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine, our intelligence, and other services to coordinate with our partners as fully as possible – so that both they and we have greater capacity to defend ourselves.
“I thank everyone who is taking a principled stand in response to these Russian attacks. A vessel was hit in Romanian waters the other day; now it’s Bulgaria. This is exactly what the Russians are planning – to keep escalating,” he said.
“Their drones are constantly flying into Moldova. And this is not the first attack on vessels in the Black Sea, in the waters of our partners. Attacks on our ports continue constantly. And there must be a clear response to the aggressiveness Russia is showing. Absolutely clear action is needed in response,” Zelenskyy said.
(Photo: Vesselfinder.com)
